Leeds United midfielder Ao Tanaka has hinted he would have left Leeds United if Daniel Farke’s side had not been promoted this summer.
The Leeds United midfielder was outstanding last season, having been bought for a bargain £3.4 million from Fortuna Dusseldorf, Tanaka has not only proved to be excellent value for money. Many fans would argue he was the best midfielder in the Championship.
Tanaka has posted emotional social media posts lately, outlining his feelings on moving to the Premier League at last with Leeds following promotion last season. Simply put, Tanaka is a fantastic footballer.
Tanaka’s Championship award nomination was well deserved, with the 27-year-old Japanese star the player who ran the engine room of the team. That was also why Tanaka was in the PFA Team of the Season recently.
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Leeds hero Jermaine Beckford picked Tanaka as his Player of the Season after he scored five and assisted two in 45 games in all competitions last term. He shone when breaking into Farke’s team properly to become a mainstay.
That said, there are some doubts behind the scenes at Elland Road regarding Tanaka’s physicality in the Premier League. Those closest to him do not agree with those question marks. Tanaka’s agent thinks he’s good enough for the Premier League.
It is part of why Tanaka is a player to build the Leeds team around this season. Tanaka enjoyed his holidays with Joel Piroe in Japan and that is where he conducted an interview this summer with GOAL, who spoke to the midfielder.
Tanaka admitted he would probably have left Leeds without promotion. He was asked by Ryohei Hayashi: “Considering your future career, you must have been under a lot of pressure?”
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He said: “Yes, there was. Of course, there was also the view that if I was doing so well in the games, I could move up even if we weren’t promoted. However, I was well aware that transferring isn’t easy, so I was determined to get promoted.”
He added how desperate he was to get promoted due to the size of Leeds as a club, stating: “Coming here really made me realize just how big a club Leeds is, which is why I wanted to get promoted.
“I didn’t really understand it before I came here. Not even the history or the atmosphere of the stadium. But once I got here, I really realized that this is a club that has to be in the Premier League.
“It’s not often you get to play football at a club with such a history. It was my first time playing football at such a club, so I felt a sense of mission and responsibility.
“So, even if we came in second or third, it would be a completely different story, and I don’t want to experience that tension again, and I don’t think I’ll ever experience it again.”
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Leigh Bromby and Tony Dorigo on Ao Tanaka
Following the 2-0 win over Sheffield United, there was plenty of praise for Tanaka. That was the period he really put himself on the map with Leeds. Leigh Bromby said Tanaka never gives the ball away, which personifies him as a player.
He is press-resistant and supremely composed, but his reading of the game in and out of possession is absolutely outstanding as well. Tony Dorigo loved Tanaka’s performance that day but one moment particularly stood out.
After Tanaka’s slide tackle on Gus Hamer, Dorigo said: “Excellent play. Tanaka has got that physical side in him. He can certainly do that, can pass too. One of the calmest players on the ball you’ll ever see.”
A well-rounded midfielder and now a top-flight player for the first time, it’s fair to say Leeds are extremely lucky to have a player of Tanaka’s quality and calibre.